Commander Tempel was born in Sedalia, Missouri in 1946. He attended Knob Noster High School and earned a Bachelors Degree from Central Missouri State College prior to entering the Navy through the Aviation Officer Candidate Program. Commander Tempel was designated a Naval Aviator at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi in February, 1970.
His first operational tour was with Patrol Squadron Forty-Five at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida. VP-45 transitioned from the P3A to P3C aircraft and completed four deployments to Atlantic and Mediterranean sites, including the first P3C weapon system deployment to the Mediterranean Theater.
Commander Tempel was selected to attend the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California where he earned a Master's degree in management in June 1975. In a follow-on tour, he was a project officer for the Navy Manpower and Material Analysis Center Atlantic at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia.
In June 1977, he reported to the Tactical Support Center Lajes, Azores, performing the Watch Officer, Analysis, Mission Control/Evaluation and Assistant Director billets in support of Second Fleet ASW operations. He transferred in August 1979 to the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island as a student at the College of Naval Command and Staff.
Commander Tempel reported to Patrol Squadron SEVENTEEN at Naval Air Station Barbers Point, Hawaii in January 1981. He was the Operations Officer, deployed to the Western Pacific/Indian Ocean and was the Officer-in-Charge for FLEETEX 83 patrol aviation assets based in Adak, Alaska during his tour.
In May 1983, Commander Tempel assumed the Current Operations Officer billet for Commander Patrol and Reconnaissance Forces Seventh Fleet in Kamiseya, Japan where he served until reporting to Patrol Squadron SIX as the Executive Officer in December 1984.
Commander Tempel and his wife Vicki have two children, Bethany and Kevin.